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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25161337">Forgiven</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/QThePotato/pseuds/QThePotato'>QThePotato</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Truth [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adora is Hordak’s adopted daughter and no one can tell me otherwise, Despair, Forgiveness, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:47:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25161337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/QThePotato/pseuds/QThePotato</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 5 MAJOR SPOILERS  </p>
<p>Hordak is forgiven.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora &amp; Hordak (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Truth [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817542</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Forgiven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I love looking at people through Hordak’s eyes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hordak watched the girl's eyes fill with tears. Why didn’t he remember? What was she to him to make him pause? She squinted as if bracing for impact.</p>
<p>It was wrong. He knew in the very core of his being that he could never hurt her. And he felt...sad…that she believed he would. It broke something inside of him. And for a moment, he didn’t know why he turned on his brother, his god. </p>
<p>In a whirl, Hordak rounded on Prime and fired his arm cannon and in that moment the wall between his memories and his mind was destroyed. </p>
<p>He remembered. </p>
<p>He remembered the day he had arrived in Etheria—so alone so long ago. He remembered conquering the planet. He remembered the lonely nights before he knew her. He remembered the day she broke into his sanctum, into his life. He remembered thinking she had left him, that it had made sense at the time. He remembered his rage and pain when he found out the truth. He remembered...Entrapta. </p>
<p>That name. That one word echoed in his mind until it was clear. Entrapta. </p>
<p>Marching up to his “big brother” he began to speak. Finally aware of himself once more. </p>
<p>“I am not your brother.” Hordak said with confidence as he picked Prime up by the throat and dangled him over the edge of the abyss, “You made me in your image, but I am more than that. I gave myself a name! I made a life of my own! I made...a friend. I am Hordak. And I defy your ‘will!’”</p>
<p>He let go. A scream echoed in the chamber as Prime fell and for a moment, Hordak rejoiced. Then, there was pain. Awful, terrible, breaking pain. He keeled over knowing exactly what was happening. Prime was not dead. Far from it. </p>
<p>In the distance he heard Entrapta saying something but he couldn’t make out the words as his vision faded and Prime entered his mind. </p>
<p>“Oh, little brother,” Prime’s voice echoed in the darkness of his mind, “I knew you were weak. This, however, is pathetic.”</p>
<p>Hordak tried to move, tried to fight, but it was for naught. Prime had control. He was non-existent. He couldn’t protect her. He had failed her. </p>
<p>The gravity of that hit home hard. In his mind Hordak was begging, pleading, threatening. He knew that Prime could hear him but it didn’t matter. </p>
<p>Hordak fought the possession as hard as he could. But his body moved by Prime’s will alone. There was nothing he could do. He was going to watch as Entrapta died. And Prime would do it with Hordak’s own hands. </p>
<p>Hordak wept in his mind thinking of all the things he could have done differently, all the things he should’ve done to protect her. He should’ve come for her on Beast Island. He should’ve known that Catra had lied. He should’ve never opened a portal. He should’ve never started to war. He should’ve died on the battlefield before ever coming to Etheria. </p>
<p>And then Prime was distracted. Prime was losing! Hordak felt his brother become scared. Angry. His eyes were suddenly blinded. His mind became clear. A warmth radiated from the sides of his head. </p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Hordak hadn’t been in Etheria long, maybe 2 or 3 years. Yet he knew it was no common occurrence on Etheria that a portal opened in the fabric of space-time. As far as he knew, it had happened twice. Once when the “She-ra” had disappeared hundreds—maybe thousands—of years prior. Once when he was stranded on this backwater planet. </p>
<p>Yet here he was. Standing in front of one in the middle of a field. The Horde had just won a battle. A big one. He had conquered the land just south of the Fright Zone And added it to his territories. </p>
<p>He would always remember the feeling of compassion he felt in that moment. The first time that something had made his heart feel...well, anything but that which Prime had instilled in him. There was a baby. Here. Alone. </p>
<p>Hordak felt a strange kinship with the creature. He was alone, too. He was a stranger, too. Looking from the child to the portal and back he knew he had only a split second to decide his course of action. He could pick up the child or he could jump through the portal. If he picked up the child, he would miss his chance to return to Prime. If he went through, he would have to leave the infant there, alone, crying. </p>
<p>If he had had a moment to think, perhaps he would have taken the opportunity to go back to his brother. But his instincts acted for him. He bent down to lift the baby from the cold ground. Her eyes were wide and curious. He felt his ears turn down as he realized what he had done—or rather what he hadn’t. </p>
<p>Hordak could sense something in this child. Strength, power, love. A strange feeling crept into his stomach. Adoration. Adoration that such a small being had so much potential. That it—she—could be so happy to be held by him. He had never seen himself as nurturing but in that moment, he felt an urge to protect this small child. </p>
<p>Later when he took her back to the Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver had noticed the potential in the child as well. He would always somewhat regret that he hadn’t kept the baby close, cared for her himself. But he did one thing before Shadow Weaver took her as her own. He named her. He had named himself and now he had named her. Adoration—Adora to all those not privy to his private thoughts. He would never let someone know what he had felt for her in that tiny sliver of a moment when he had given in to his weak heart. </p>
<p>Adora. </p>
<p>...</p>
<p>Hordak opened his eyes. There was She-ra. No. Adora. He looked into her eyes and saw light, warmth, and forgiveness. He had been saved. </p>
<p>Forgiven.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a longer one and I’ve realized these are going to be sooooo out of order. What can I say? I feel inspiration about a moment and I jot it down. I am super excited to write a lot of this series in Hordak’s point of view. His “Truth”. Maybe I’ll continue his story after I get through the series canon.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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